Trust Yourself

Self confidence and trust are two of the most important characteristics for leaders. As leaders, we must:

Trust in ourselves and be fully attentive to the moment at hand. To be fully engaged with the person we’re talking with.

Stay in the flow of whatever changes are at hand.

Remain calm in the midst of crisis and chaos.

Rise to our best under pressure.

Absorb new information quickly.

Keep our self-possession.

Where do you find your self-confidence when you need it most? How can you be confident in your decisions? Taking time to explore your inner voices and, in essence, quiet the voices that are not yours – the voices that tell you what you “should” do versus what you believe in. Through the mindful practices of meditation and yoga, you learn how to step back, assess, and then act in a fully mindful way. And, you’re able to let go of past experiences and prejudices that often diminish the depth of your wisdom.

By quieting your mind – “citta vitri narodha” – to explore your inner knowledge and deep consciousness you become aware of your own thinking processes. To find this quiet within, first find the foundation within your body: the grounding of your feet when standing, the firm placement of the sitting bones when seated and the erect posture of the spine.

Our bodies do not doubt. Doubt rests in our minds. Our bodies want to love, live, heal. We come into the foundation of our body to find affirmation in our upper body and minds.

Whenever you doubt yourself – shift the energy and design your foundation — your stance — to amplify your positive thoughts and locate more compassion to others and to yourself. Find the deep level of trust that lies within us – it’s the trust we want from others.

Remember your mantra and repeat it whenever you find a moment to step back and practice pranayama and one a brief mindful meditation.

I. Ujjayi Pranayama

Find a comfortable seat. Sit tall and feel the crown of head over the spine. Let all facial muscles relax. Become aware of your breath flowing through nostrils in and gently out.

Without any strain begin to deepen the breath. Create the ujjayi sound by creating a slight constriction in the back of your throat so you can hear your breath like the sound of the waves moving in the ocean.

Slowly breathe in through both nostrils for 5 counts and then exhale for 5 counts. Repeat — inhale for 5 and exhale for 5. If and when it feels comfortable pause the breath after each exhale for up to 5 counts. During the pause the mind remains calm. Each time you suspend the breath focus on suspending the activity of mind and body.

Please continue without any strain. Spine tall with a complete sense of ease. Inhale 5/exhale 5 pause for 5.

Practice for 2-3 minutes

Then allow your breath to adjust. Allow it to be completely effortless – no longer shaping the breath in anyway.

Asana Practice

Warrior II: Come into pose and find your dristi gaze. Feel the trust throughout your body, it’s strength, it’s the foundation of your life. Place your hands over your heart and straighten your front leg and inhale. Exhale and move back to Warrior II and again extend your arms and find your dristi gaze.

Repeat on other side.

Warrior I

Widen collarbones to reach hands high. Tailbone down strength of legs. Strong legs for trust. Feel into your body and clear out any doubt. Think about what you’ve accomplished today – this past week — and be proud and of what you’ve done. Now extend arms out to the side horizontally and bend at the elbows (“how wonderful” arms) and slowly twist in the direction of the forward leg (twist to right when right leg is forward; twist to left with left leg forward). Inhale to lengthen the spine and exhale to deepen the twist

With this twist, we clear our bodies and minds. When we are pure of heart we can listen. Like a cleanse, we’re purifying our minds so we can hear our heart – we can hear our inner intelligence and release any doubt that prevents us from listening well. Cultivate trust. The effort is worth it. Others will feel it.

Repeat on other side.

Warrior III

Come into a high lunge pose with arms overhead, front leg is bent at 90 degrees and the toes and ball of of the back foot is firmly planted on the floor. Shift weight forward and slowly straighten the front leg and the back leg is lifted into Warrior III. Take arms back along sides and shine the heart forward. Glow in the strength of your foundation, your trust, to open your heart and trust your inner voice.